What do you think of zippos for survival lighters?

I know what you mean. Why not just replace the wick on the zippo? It does evaporate, but I carry mine everyday so i just top it up once a week or so.

Yeah, its kind of hard to replace the wick but once you do it you don't need to do it for a long time. Look in the mall for zippo stuff. I've found flints, fluid, and even wicks.

Have you checked eBay

Zippo will repair/renew any lighter for $5. Here's a link to their repair page.

Actually its totally free, minus the cost of you shipping it to them. They repair it for free and ship it back for free.

Actually, we're both (partially) correct.

To quote from their site:
"Zippo Windproof Pocket Lighter
Any Zippo pocket lighter, when returned to our factory, will be put in first-class mechanical condition free of charge, for we have yet to charge a cent for the repair of a Zippo pocket lighter, regardless of age or condition. The finish, however, is not guaranteed.

This guarantee gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary state to state or country to country. Other Zippo products carry their own specific warranties. To obtain service under this warranty, follow the shipping instructions in the FAQs.

Zippo Multi-Purpose Lighter
Any Zippo Multi-Purpose Lighter returned to our factory for warranty repair will be repaired free of charge or replaced, at our discretion. There is a $5.00 shipping and handling Fee. Damage to the Multi-Purpose Lighter resulting from abuse or misuse is not covered by our warranty. The finish is also not warranted."

Pretty good, regardless.

I've sent them a nmber trashed-out lighters I've picked up at garage sales and flea markets. Each one came back crisp and ready to burn stuff. It's a heck of a service!

-Blast

"...replace the wick on the zippo..."

Back when I was a (heavy) smoker, I used the same Zippo for probably twenty years, never had a problem. Just how much does one have to use a Zippo that the wick has to be replaced???

The jewelry section at super WalMart's carry flint and wicks for Zippos. I replaced both on my zippo earlier this year.

Often times you can just pull up some of the wick and trim off the "bad" area.

what happens if you don't top if off every week or so or you burn the flame for a long while as the fluid runs out, the wick develops carbon deposits (turns black) and will not catch a spark easily. you have to pull more wick out with pliers at that point and trim it off. you can only do this a couple of times before the wick in the casing no longer comes into contact with enough cotton to "wick" fluid for a proper ignition. At that point it's time to replace the wick. this is very easy and you can watch a you tube video to show you.

I love my zippo (I don't smoke). It's great for every day carry, so you can stay on top of keeping it filled. Very cool that it can be set down and will continue to burn. basically can take the place of a "firestarter" material, or a candle by just sparking it up and setting it under kindling until you've got an inferno going.

Whoda'thunk YouTube would have a video on Replacing a Zippo Wick

[quote=kevingg] ...so you can stay on top of keeping it filled... [quote]

I bet its fun, especially in the summer, when that overfilled Zippo is in your front pocket.

Not the best choice. As was mentioned before, the fuel evaporates. Zippos are also unnecessarily bulky.

As a survival lighter they are great.
There are only two things to keep in mind (which you already pointed out).
You need a can of lighter fluid with them because it evaporates. They are not as fussy as you might think about their fuel and will burn most light fuel oils, just some are harder to light. You don't really need to worry about the wick too much.
The original wick will last for more than 20 years if you don't try burning them dry. Most smoke shops sell spare wick kits, but if you need to, almost any wick material will work.
Spare flints are a must and the best place to keep them is under the bottom pad where you fill it with fuel. Spare flints are cheap, I like Ronson for flints and fuel. You can harvest spare flints out of dead bics too.
Now about Bic lighters.
They are cheap and have a very long shelf life, buy a case of them and scatter them through your vehicles, office and home.
(Like a couple in the glove box of each of your cars, some in the kitchen drawers, desk drawers, tool box, etc, etc)
I say Bic but almost any of the disposables are the same. I prefer the ones with a lock that prevents the gas valve getting pressed.
(I used to find my bic lighters empty far too often when back packing.)

The big advantage to me of Zippo over Bic was that the Zippo would light even after getting wet, but the bics would not.

The biggest disadvantage of Zippo is the cost (second is the fuel evaporation in storage) which means you tend to only have the one you are using and don't have any loose ones laying around in handy locations.

I love zippos and changing out the flint and the wick isn't bad. You can get the mini zippo which I carry as well as the peanut lighters but I carry a FOB full of lighter fluid. The zippos are really bad for evaporation as stated but are great lighters and a great company as well. People have carried them all over the world for years and I've found them in some remote places as well around the globe.

someplace in an old outdoor magazine i recall an ad for Zippo that pointed out it's ability to keep burning after it was lit--unlike the newer,smaller lighters--and had a possible survival use...i think the ad showed a duck hunter heating a cup of coffee over a open burning Zippo..could have been a GI warming his hands on a foxhole--it was a long time ago i saw this..

This subject has been discussed many times in the past, as a search for "Zippo" will show. Generally they are a good lighter to have with you, fully fuelled, in an emergency but too much hassle for many people the rest of the time, because of the evaporation problem.

Besides Zippo and Ronson fuel, what other fuels will work in a pinch? Alcohol? Kerosene?

Brunton Helios beat a zippo hands down.

... Gasoline, carb cleaner, aviation gas, jet fuel (basically really clean kerosene). If it's wet and will burn, it works.

and that ladies and gents is why a Zippo makes a good piece of survival gear for your kit. You don't need to have the fuel in it, but definitely have a lighter.

take 60 seconds. I do it between pullup sets in the basement, and I don't overfill it. it's worth it.

I think zippos are a neat and durable design, but absolutely horrible for survival use. Even if it's fully filled with fluid, it will evaporate in a matter of days whether you use it or not. For the same space and weight you can fit lighters, matches, and tinder, all of which have a shelf life of years and can be rationed as much as you need to. Carrying spare fluid is bulky and heavy compared to the alternatives, and there is always the chance of it spilling. There are many good options for survival firestarting(I prefer a bic or butane lighter as primary, with a firesteel, tinder, and storm matches as backup), but I would put Zippos at the very bottom of the list. I would sooner pack my bow-drill set.

While I tend to agree that one of the disposable lighters such as Bic are probably better for a survival kit, Zippo lighters can function on many different fuels which makes them an asset over the long haul.

I have Bic lighters in various kits and keep long, flexible neck lighter in one specific kit. The lighter I keep around the house for candles is a long neck Scripto because it can reach down into a candle to light a wick that would be tough to light with a match or a Bic. Everything has its place and so I keep a near new and dry Zippo as a contingency. All I need to do is add fuel which should be easy to find.

The one I want to get just to have is the heavy version. From Zippo's website: "A distinctive bottom stamp authenticates these chrome and solid brass lighters as heavy walled Armor™. These Armor™ cases are about 1.5 times as thick as a standard brass case."

Its hard to give up the one I have had for 20 yrs. I swore to my girlfriend who gave it to me that it would save my life someday. Its been to Europe and on many treks in the Sierras. Nostalgic as it is, I always follow the rule of more than one source of fire.

I found alcohol to be the one thing that mine would not burn.
I suspect the remains of the regular fuel prevents it from going up the wick, but I was able to light an alcohol (denatured alcohol, methanol, fondue fuel) soaked rag by using the lighter as a sparker.
Also, rubbing alcohol has too much water in it to burn well.
I have also found the lighter would burn 100% deet insect repellant (smokey) and oil of cloves from a first aid kit (don't ask why).

If you carry a Zippo around as a normal course of action then you may as well consider it a piece of your survival gear. I personally do carry a Zippo most days but always have a backup Bic in the kit. Another nice thing about a classic Zippo is that, when flying, they are allowed on your person or Carry-on luggage filled with fluid whereas compressed gas lighters are not.

That said there are a number of options to keep your Zippo more reliable. As has been said before; always keep a spare flint under the flap at the bottom of the lighter. (some Zippo's have a hole just for placing a flint)

Zippo offers a container just for the purpose of holding spare flint and fluid which would be something great to consider if you do normally carry a Zippo with you: Zippo Fuel Canister Key Chain Cost is around $15 and has provisions for storage of 2 flints, one refill of fluid, and even a flat portion for loosening the screw that retains the flint.

Possibly a better option is the Zippo BLU which is a butane-powered jet-type lighter. Keeps the basic feel of a classic Zippo with more reliability of butane. Zippo BLU product page
Zippo BLU Introduction videos


I also believe that I recall seeing a butane-insert for standard Zippo's over at County Comm.

Funny enough and not sure if anyone remembers this, but zippo came out with a flashlight insert for the classic zippo about 15 years ago. I bought one and still have it. It was a weak bulb but novel for what it did. It would be great if they did one with an LED bulb today.

I had read on ETS about putting a piece of rubber from a bike tire around the fuel insert before putting it back in the casing. This ostensibly to limit or stop some evaporation and make a more water resistant container.

I couldn't get it to work. The rubber was too thick to fit it into the case while around the fuel insert. Tried stretching around the whole length and then just a 1/4 inch strip around the top. No go.

Comms, iirc you take the insert put it in the lighter, close the lighter and place the band around the joint between the top and bottom half of the lighter to seal the fluid in.

Oooh, it not inside between the insert and casing it is wrapped around the casing over the seam created by the lid.

I've never had that happen. I fill it until the wick drips, then burn it for a min or so, and its fine.

I carried my zippo in my front pocket and got my pants soaked. Not long after I felt an itch on my thigh. Then it got worse and started to feel like a burn.

Eventually I removed my pants to find a bright red burn on my thigh. The water displaced the fluid in the zippo and it seeped out onto my leg.

Doesn't even have to be water. Only overfilling it will produce the same result. Not something to have happen if you are far from a change of clothes. Seems the fluid will evaporate from the lighter, but not the pants.

Yes, I have had that happen once or twice. Usually in the summer.
It even warns you on the container about skin contact.
Lighter Fluid is Naptha with Benzene, and you can become sensitized to it.
Naptha is the same thing as Coleman camp fuel. I use naptha in a couple of my camping stoves. When camping out I normally have one of those stoves with me and the fuel, so fuel for the Zippo is present anyhow.
Benzene is a known carcinogen, that should not surprise anybody, right(?).
http://pages.slc.edu/~aschultz/chemical_hygiene/MSDS/theater%20msds/LIGHTER%20FLUID.PDF

I try not to overfill the lighter and carry it upright in either my jeans watch pocket or my overalls watch pocket.
That at least put a few layers of thicker clothing between me and it. When camping it can ride either in my pocket or the pack.

I sometimes worked in refineries and they don't allow bic lighters because they have had people light themselves up with them.
It is kind of hard to explain that, but they were by accidents and not deliberate.
The problem is the Bic can have the valve pressed down when in a pocket and fill up a pair of coveralls with butane.
One spark and it is "Poof!" a crispy welder!
You use a sparker, wooden safety matches or Zippo style lighters inside the refinery, if you need to carry something to light stuff with.
Only sparkers are allowed for lighting cutting torches, no lighters.

The fact the bic can have the valve pressed by accident is why I don't like them lying around loose or in a pack.
I have had too many brand new empty bicks when backpacking.
There are plenty of good refillable and disposable butane lighters that don't have this problem.

Highly reccommend Zippo lighters!!! Yes I also carry a disposalbe butane -- but it is "mechanical" and can fail. In the 35 years of carrying a Zippo, it has never failed. I keep a bottle of lighter fluid in the glove box of my pick up and top the zippo off every few times I go into the wood to make sure the evaporative loss isn't a problem. I also keep an extra flint tucked away in the bottom of the lighter ( just pull it apart in the upside down position and the flint will be on top of the cotton wick material -- squirt in some fluid and then place the cover back down on the lighter and presto, set to go. I also carry a handful of wooden stick matches inside a vacumn seal pouch --use my wife's kitchen vacumn food sealer --works great!

I love my Ziipo --- about 30years old!!!
Still also carry a cheap disposable butane, but thier failure rate is way to high to not carry a Zippo ( and matches) too. Carry wooden stick matched in a seal plastic pouch I make from my wife's kitchen food vacumn sealler--never leaks and lasts for years!

Yes, Zippos do lose fluid due to evaporation. I keep a can a fluid in my pick up and squirt a little into the Zippo every few times I go into the woods. Also, if you hold it upside down and pull the outer sleeve up off it, you can store extra flints on top of the wick material so as to never be without a spark!

IMHO ZIPPO lighters are not very suitable for EDC due to the well known problems re leakage and evaporation.

I keep a number of ZIPPOS without fuel, and also some well sealed cans of lighter fuel, these are long term preps for a future in which matches and butane lighters may be in short supply, but not for EDC whilst times are normal.

For EDC I have more faith in butane lighters and waterproof matches.

You can place a small zip tie under the valve lever of a BIC lighter and around the lighter which may prevent the lever from unintentionally opening the valve if accidentally pressed while in a pocket or pack. The point where the tie comes together will go under the lever, keeping it from bring pressed, and you simply rotate it to the side, out from under the lever to use.